


Here There Be Vampires

by i_owe_you_a_bourbon



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, F/M, i'm so glad i have a proofreader or this vampire would have so many layers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4101358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_owe_you_a_bourbon/pseuds/i_owe_you_a_bourbon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You have the look of a man who’s hunting something.” Jack noticed her eyes flick down the cross that hung around his neck. </p><p>“It seems you have something of the hunter in you too,” Jack replied quietly, his gaze moving to her mouth.</p><p>Her lips turned up in a slow smile. “Would you like to take this conversation somewhere a little more private?” she asked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lady in Red

There was something mesmerizing about the woman on the bar stool that made it hard for Jack to look away. It might have been the crimson dress that clung to her full body like a second skin. It might have been the slight quirk of the bright red lips. But it was probably the eyes. Those dark, burning eyes that looked like they were staring into his soul. They’d been fixed on him since he entered the bar. She didn’t look surprised when Jack picked up his glass of bourbon and moved towards her.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you it was rude to stare, sweetheart?” he asked, settling on the stool next to her.

She smiled. “It seems your mother was rather negligent in that regard as well,” she replied, her tone crisp and distinctly English. She took a delicate sip from her glass, eyes never leaving his. 

He gave her a small smile. “It’s real hard to look away from a face like that.”

“I can’t say I object to your face either,” she said. “It intrigues me. You have the look of a man who’s hunting something.” Jack noticed her eyes flick down the cross that hung around his neck. 

“It seems you have something of the hunter in you too,” Jack replied quietly, his gaze moving to her mouth.

Her lips turned up in a slow smile. “Would you like to take this conversation somewhere a little more private?” she asked.

“Well you sure don’t hold back,” Jack said, raising his eyebrows at her. “Can I at least get a name first?”

She laughed, bright white teeth glinting even in the dim light of the bar. “How very rude of me,” she said. “I’m Peggy.”

“Jack.” He stood up and nodded his head toward the door with a grin. “ _Now_ we can take this somewhere more private.”

She got to her feet, her eyes still dancing with laughter. “I’m glad you’re here to teach me the proper etiquette of this situation, Jack,” she said, taking his arm. “I can’t say this is something I do often.”

He smirked at her. “Good thing I have practice enough for the both of us then.”

“It gives me confidence to know you’re a professional in these matters.” She pulled on his arm. “Come along, then.” He followed her across the smoky room and out into the cool night air. Without bothering to ask if she had a destination in mind, he turned to the right and began to move down the street. She didn’t put up any fight, though he noticed she was watching him curiously out of the corner of her eye.

Whatever questions may have been lurking in her mind were soon answered. Halfway down the block they came to the mouth of a narrow, dark alley, stretching away from the well-lit street into a shadowy nothingness. Without wasting any time, Jack seized the woman by the arm and hauled her into the alley, slamming her against the solid brick wall and bringing his wooden stake up to rest between her breasts, just above her heart. To his surprise, she still didn’t put up a fight. She simply tilted her head to the side, continuing to study him. “I’m not the one you’re after,” she said, her voice soft and level.

“Like hell you’re not,” Jack growled. “The only ones who’d know what this cross means are other slayers or the things we’re hunting. If you were a slayer, you’d have one of your own.” He shot a significant look down at the extremely low cut of her dress. “And it’s pretty damn easy to tell you ain’t wearin’ one.”

“I said I wasn’t the one you’re after,” she said. “I never denied that I was a vampire.” The word made Jack’s hand tighten reflexively around the stake, and he pressed it more firmly against her chest. Her face remained calm, but he felt her breath hitch slightly at the increased pressure.

Jack leaned in, bringing the cross around his neck closer to Peggy’s body. “Good,” he said. “A confession makes this so much easier.” He pressed the stake further into her flesh.

But there he hesitated. Her chest was heaving now as she gasped for air, the close proximity of the cross taking its toll on her. It gave Jack pause. He’d never thought of vampires as needing to breathe before, though when he thought about it he supposed every one he’d driven a stake into had had the regular rise-and-fall of the chest that one would expect from the average person. But with his body pressed as tightly against this particular vampire as it was, it was impossible to ignore. He could feel every breath. He could feel the warmth of her body. He could even feel the faint beat of a heart drumming in her chest. And suddenly it felt all wrong. These creatures were supposed to be nothing more than animated corpses; just _things_ that killed and should be killed. Jack had never been close enough to one to be so forcefully reminded that they were as alive as any other being.

“Before you dig that thing any deeper, you might want to listen to what I have to say,” Peggy rasped, bringing Jack’s mind back to the situation at hand. “I know you’re here for the vampire who has been terrorizing this town for the last three weeks. But you have the wrong one. I’m not any more fond of murderers than you are. I asked you to leave that bar with me so we could talk, not so I could slaughter you and drink your blood. This is quite the over-reaction, I assure you.”

“And what would you want to talk about with a vampire slayer?” Jack asked incredulously.

“We have a common goal, Jack,” the vampire said. “I thought we might help each other. I’d like to see this vampire brought to justice as much as you would.”

Jack snorted. “A vampire who slays vampires? Bullshit.”

Peggy shook her head. “No. I just don’t like bullies. I don’t care what species they are.”

There was an earnestness in her eyes that almost made Jack want to believe her. But he pushed that thought away. The whole notion was absurd, of course. Vampires were monsters, and this one was no different, even if her body seemed so painfully human. She was just trying to talk her way out of a situation she recognized was impossible. Jack narrowed his eyes. “And why should I believe a bloodsucker like you?” he snarled.

The woman sighed, rolling her eyes to the heavens. Then her hands shot up to grab the arm that held the stake to her chest. Quick as a flash, she’d twisted the weapon from his hand, sending it clattering to the ground. Seizing him firmly, she flipped him around so his back was the one pressed against the wall, held there by an impossibly strong grip. “Because if I meant to kill you, you’d already be dead,” Peggy informed him impatiently.

Jack blinked at her for a moment, stunned. Then he nodded. “I’m inclined to believe you,” he said. He was fully aware that he was now the one trying to talk his way out of a bad situation, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Peggy hesitated for a moment, then gave a short nod and released him. “Good,” she said. She leaned down and picked his stake up off the ground, holding it out to him. It was a gesture of such trust that any thoughts Jack might have had about trying to gain the upper hand again slipped away. He took the stake, tucking it back in his belt. If it turned out she was lying, he’d deal with it then. If not, he could use any help she could give him.

He noticed Peggy eyeing his cross again, this time with a look of some irritation. “Something wrong?” he asked. 

“If we’re going to work together, I would appreciate it if you at least put that away,” she informed him.

Jack couldn’t help but smile. In that moment there was nothing vampiric about her, just a ruffled and offended Brit. Obediently, he tucked the cross into his shirt. “Better?” he asked.

She nodded approvingly. “Very good.”

“Good.” Jack set to work straightening his rumpled suit. If he was going to be forced to work with a pretty vampire, he could at least look as good as she did. When he looked up again, Peggy was watching him with some amusement.

“Done preening?” she asked.

“Not everyone has vampire powers that keep them looking perfect all the time.” 

Peggy arched an eyebrow at him. “Myself included. Convenient as that would be.”

Jack ignored her and gave his tie one last smoothing. Deciding it was satisfactory, he turned his attention back to the vampire. “Now what?” he asked.

Peggy smiled. “Now we go to work.”


	2. Everything He Didn't Know

Jack peered around the room curiously. “Whose house is this?” he asked.

“Mine,” Peggy replied, taking his coat from him and moving to hang it in the hall closet.

“You live in the town? In a house?”

Peggy arched an eyebrow at the incredulous tone of his voice. “Were you expecting a cave?” 

Jack shrugged. “Something like that.”

“I’m a vampire, Jack, not a bear.” 

“Hm,” said Jack. It was a very normal seeming house – no bloody carcasses or bats hanging from the ceiling that might indicate that a vampire lived here. “Do you really sleep in a coffin?” he asked. “Do you sleep at all?”

“I sleep. And I sleep in a bed. I can’t imagine a coffin would be very conducive to a good night’s rest, do you?” With a long suffering sigh, she turned and moved into the next room. “Come along,” she called over her shoulder.

The room she led him into was one of particular interest to Jack – a kitchen with a small dining area off to one side. Peggy headed straight for the dining table, on which was strewn a jumble of papers. Jack lingered in the kitchen. His curiosity in that moment outweighed his need to be a good houseguest, and he opened of few of her cupboards to peer inside. When he looked up again, Peggy was watching him. “Can I get you something?” she asked pointedly.

“Just wonderin’ where you keep the blood.”

“I don’t drink blood.” Her voice was rather cool.

“All vampires drink blood. It’s what you live on, isn’t it?”

“All vampires crave blood,” said Peggy. She had fixed him with an unblinking gaze that seemed to bore into his soul, and Jack found he couldn’t look away. “That doesn’t mean all of us drink it. I live on bread and cheese and good meat, just like anyone else.” 

“Have you ever had blood?” 

“We have work to do.” She released him from her stare and turned back to the table.

Jack finally moved into the dining area to join her. “What’s all this?” he asked, gesturing at the mess of papers.

“Everything I know about our vampire,” Peggy replied. The coolness had left her voice, and Jack found he was somewhat relieved. “His victims, the dates and times he’s taken them, and everything I’ve found that suggests his lair is where I think it is.”

“How do you know it’s a him?”

“I can’t be certain, but his victimology suggests it. It’s somewhat sporadic – he’s targeted a larger variety of people than I’ve ever seen before – but for the most part he takes young, attractive women. It’s a victim type typical of a male vampire.” She glanced up at him. “Male humans as well,” she informed him wryly.

“And you know where his lair is.”

“His feeding lair, yes. It’s easier to track a vampire when they’ve got a human victim in their clutches. Humans are stubborn creatures. They tend to struggle.” She said these words very fondly. “Every trail I’ve been able to follow points back to the same place. It seems he feeds up on the mountain, in… a cave.” She sighed and shot him a look. “Don’t say anything.” 

Jack smirked. “Don’t have to, sweetheart.” He flipped through some of the papers, admiring how thorough her note-taking was. “So if you know where he feeds, why haven’t you done anything about it?”

Peggy let out a frustrated huff of air. “I couldn’t. I was waiting for you.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “You were waiting for me?”

“I was waiting for a slayer. Think about it, Jack. What two things do you need to kill a vampire?”

“A stake and a cross,” Jack answered promptly. “Cross to weaken, stake to kill.”

“Precisely. And how do you imagine I would go about getting a cross anywhere near our killer?”

“Good point. So that’s what you do then? Wait for a slayer to show up and take care of things?”

“When it’s a vampire, I appreciate the help. When my killer is human, it’s easy,” she said darkly.

“You kill humans?”

“When I have to. I prefer to let the authorities handle them. Which is more than can be said for the way you deal with my kind.”

“There ain’t exactly jails for vampires.” 

Peggy sighed. “I know,” she said. For a moment she looked so sad and weary that Jack couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her. But she shook the moment off quickly, and so did he. “It seems we have some waiting to do,” she said. “Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do until our vampire takes somebody else. It’s the only time we can be sure he’ll be in his cave. You’re welcome to stay here, unless you have somewhere else to go.”

“That’d be nice.”

“I’ll make up a guest room for you. Can I get you anything in the meantime? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?”

“Coffee would be nice.”

“I’ll brew us some.” Peggy moved into the kitchen and busied herself with a pot of coffee.

Jack watched her in silence for a second, until the questions weighing on his mind became too much. “Do you drink them? The humans you kill?”

“No,” Peggy replied shortly. “Not exactly a habit I want to get into.”

“What, it’s like a drug or something?” 

“Quite so. One I’d rather not take.” She didn’t say ‘again’, but the unspoken word hung in the air just as forcefully as if she had uttered it.

Jack settled himself in one of the chairs that were placed around the dining table. “You don’t have to tell me for me to know. You’ve had blood before. You might as well tell me the story, so I can make up my mind about whether I’m gonna plant this stake in you, too, when this is all over. ‘Cause right now it’s seemin’ like I should.”

“You are an utterly charmless houseguest,” Peggy said. She continued with the coffee, not even glancing in his direction. 

“You’re an utterly charming hostess. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t kill you.”

Peggy looked up at him, her eyes suddenly very dark. “And perhaps you should,” she said. “There’s nothing to stop you from doing it tonight, as I sleep. You know what I know now. As far as you’re concerned, I’m of no further use to you. So by all means, Jack, drive that stake into my heart. Punish me for all the sins of my past you seem to know so much about.” She turned back to the coffee. There was nothing left for her to do with it, but she seemed content to just stand and watch it brew. Jack couldn’t blame her. He figured he’d probably want some excuse not to be near himself too.

“How old are you?” he asked, after the tense silence became too much.

Peggy raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you it was rude to ask a woman her age, sweetheart?” she asked. She shook her head at him and turned back to the coffee pot. “I’m not centuries old, if that’s what you’re really asking. Vampires are quite mortal.”

“Really? I always thought you things just kept on livin’ until someone dropped you.” 

“Then you are a very poor mathematician,” Peggy informed him. “If vampires lived and reproduced forever, all the while feeding upon humans, the entire world would be populated by my kind alone.”

“I’d never thought about it like that,” Jack admitted. 

“It seems you haven’t put much thought into vampires at all, other than how best to kill them.” She poured a cup of coffee and brought it to the table, along with a bowl of sugar and a little pot of cream. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make you up a room and then retire. I find your company exhausting.” And with that she swept out of the room, leaving Jack alone to contemplate everything he didn’t know about vampires.


	3. Into the Woods

“I see you decided not to kill me,” Peggy said as Jack wandered into the kitchen the following morning. “I appreciate that.” She was perched on the counter, a cup of coffee in her hands and a map spread out across her lap, her brow furrowed with concentration as she studied it.

“Likewise,” Jack replied, sprawling into one of the dining room chairs.

Peggy glanced up at him. “God, you look like hell,” she informed him.

“You know how to make a man feel good.”

“Oh, I don’t think your ego needs any stroking. Would you like some coffee?”

“That’d be nice.” Peggy hopped off the counter and poured him a cup, then returned to her perch and her map. Jack sipped the hot drink for a moment, watching her in silence. “What’re you doin’?” he asked finally.

“I’m trying to figure out where our vampire might be hiding,” Peggy said absently. “I’ve marked all the trails I’ve found leading to his feeding lair, but none of them seem to point back to any particular place. It seems he hunts in the woods around the town, but I have no idea where he might _live_.”

“Maybe he lives in the town,” Jack suggested. “Like you.”

“Yes, I’d considered that,” Peggy said, her brow furrowing even more. “And if that’s the case, he’s far more clever than I’d hoped. Most vampires who choose to feed on people don’t have the self-restraint to live amongst them without raising any red flags.”

“So we’ve got a smart vampire or an untraceable vampire. Great.”

“Always nice to start the morning with some good news.” Peggy shot him a smile and drained her cup of coffee. Folding up the map, she slid off her counter and stretched. “I’ve got some errands to run,” she said. “Will you be alright on your own?”

“Always have been.”

“Oh, very dramatic,” Peggy informed him. “Perhaps if you weren’t quite so abrasive you would have a few more friends.”

“I’ve got plenty of friends. I just don’t like any of them.”

“Not sure I’d call those friends,” Peggy said, shaking her head at him with a rather amused smile. She glanced at the clock. “I really must get going. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, so please feel free to make yourself at home in my absence. My preference would be, of course, that you keep your nose out of my private business, though I suspect there’s not much I can do about that. But if you do go snooping, I’d appreciate it if you at least kept things in order. Don’t go making a mess of my panty drawer.” She gave him a very stern look.

“I’ll be sure to fold ‘em up nice and neat when I’m done.”

“Good.” She nodded, satisfied with this small concession, and headed out of the room.

Jack waited until he heard the door close behind her before he let his body relax. He hadn’t realized just how on edge he’d been until that moment. Being in the presence of a vampire had his whole body tensed like a tightly coiled spring, ready to leap to action in the blink of an eye. He found himself wondering yet again what the hell he was thinking. He should have planted a stake through the woman the first night in the alley.

But he hadn’t. And all he could do now was continue to follow his gut and hope that Peggy’s errands didn’t include feeding on the blood of innocents while the hapless slayer who should have been there to stop her was sitting in her dining room, drinking all her coffee.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Jack turned his attention to the research that was spread out on the table in front of him. He was sure Peggy had it in some kind of order, but he couldn’t see any method to her madness. With a sigh, he set to work sorting through the mess and skimming his way through every one of the many facts and figures she had so meticulously recorded.

~

By the time Jack resurfaced into the world beyond the tiny dining table, it was already early evening, and he was famished. He considered getting himself something from Peggy’s kitchen, but the thought of sharing more than coffee with a vampire still wasn’t terribly appealing to him. This and the stiffness that had developed in his joints from sitting in one spot all day made up his mind for him, and he decided he’d go and find himself a nice restaurant.

No sooner had he set foot outside the door than a small girl rushed over to him, her eyes wild and panicked. “Help!” she said desperately. “Please help me! It’s my brother, he’s hurt!” She seized his hand and tugged at him desperately. “Please, we don’t have much time!”

Jack relented to the tugging on his arm, caught up in the urgency written all over the child’s face. He moved after her, breaking into a run to keep up with her as she began to sprint away down the street. Before long they had reached the edge of the forest. The girl shot a wild-eyed look back at him, gesturing for him to follow before she plunged into the trees and out of sight. Jack forced his way into the underbrush after her.

It was dark inside the forest, the dense trees clinging together to block out even the idea of sunshine. Jack pushed forward, finding something of a narrow path under his feet. He squinted into the gloom. “Hello?” he called. “Where are you?” But the girl was nowhere to be seen. He pressed on down the path for a bit, before the uneasiness that had slowly been creeping into his mind finally stopped him dead in his tracks. “Damnit,” he muttered, sliding his stake from his belt and clutching it tightly in his hand. “What the hell were you thinking, Thompson?”

At that moment, he heard a faint rustle behind him. But before he could turn around, something solid slammed into the back of his head with a sickening crunch, and his vision blacked out.


	4. Child’s Play

The next thing Jack became aware of was something cold and hard pressed against his body and his face. He was lying down, though he wasn’t quite sure why. A dull throbbing in his head brought memories of the previous events crashing back into his mind, and his eyes flew open. 

The world around him was dark, lit only by a dim, white light filtering in from some source he couldn’t see. He squinted around, letting his eyes adjust to the lighting. The pale light must have been moonlight, meaning he’d been out for hours. It wasn’t shining directly onto him, so he must be underneath something. Something rock, from the feel of the ground he lay on. And at that thought, a dark realization slowly crept into his mind. He was in a cave. Probably a cave on a mountainside. A cave where a vampire might go to feed. 

Jack pushed himself into a sitting position, the sudden movement making blackness swim across his vision again, almost pulling him back into unconsciousness. He leaned heavily against the cave wall, blinking his eyes until his vision cleared. “Good morning, sleepyhead!” a sunny voice greeted him. The little girl he’d followed into the woods was perched on a rock several feet away, between him and the mouth of the cave. She was cleaning her nails with his stake. 

“You,” said Jack.

She smiled brightly. “Little old me,” she agreed.

“I should've known,” Jack muttered. His eyes flicked down to the stake in her hands, and he briefly wondered whether he could make his body cooperate long enough to lunge forward and take it from her without passing out. 

Her laughter answered his question for him. “Do you want it?” she asked. She was watching him, her head tilted to one side. When he didn’t reply, she hopped off the rock and skipped over to him, dropping the stake onto the floor beside him. “Go ahead,” she said. “I’m just small, I’m sure you could manage it.” She giggled. “Of course, it might be a little hard without your cross.” Jack’s hand leaped instantly to his neck, feeling suddenly naked as he realized no chain hung there. The little girl pouted. “It burned my hand,” she said.

“Best news I’ve heard all day,” Jack informed her. His voice came out more strangled than he’d meant it to, and it rang in his ears as though it was coming from somewhere far away. He desperately tried to quell the panic that was rising in his chest.

At that moment, a faint flicker of movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention to the entrance of the cave. He turned to look, and the girl laughed again. “You can try and run if you like,” she said. “That’ll make it more fun.” She clapped her hands excitedly. “I just love games!” she said. 

But Jack wasn’t thinking about running. Jack was thinking of what stood in the mouth of the cave. Jack was thinking about Peggy, standing behind the little girl, the moonlight casting a halo around her head, making her look for all the world like an avenging angel. He turned his gaze on the little girl. “I don’t need to run,” he said. 

“Because of your girlfriend?” the girl asked. She spun suddenly, grabbing the other vampire by the arm and slamming her to the ground, her small foot stomping onto Peggy’s skull with enough force that Jack felt a slight vibration through the rock. The girl beamed. “I’m glad you finally came to play, Peggy,” she said. “It was getting a little dull here without you. My meal isn’t as strong as I thought he’d be.” She removed her foot and grabbed Peggy’s hair, dragging the other vampire up into a kneeling position in front of her. “You aren’t either,” she said, sounding rather sulky. “I thought you’d be more fun.”

Peggy looked up at the girl, blood dripping from her nose and a large cut just above her eyebrow. “Sorry to disappoint,” she said, her voice rather faint.

The girl sighed. “It’s because you don’t drink blood, Peggy,” she said. “We’re supposed to drink blood. It keeps us strong. Now you’re just weak.”

Peggy reached out suddenly, grabbing the girl’s hand and twisting it until the child howled in pain and released her. Jumping to her feet, she seized the girl and flung her violently against the cave wall. The girl slumped to the ground, and Peggy staggered slightly, breathing heavily. She stumbled towards Jack, concern in her eyes. “Jack – ” she began. 

She was cut off by a peal of laughter. “That’s better!” the little girl crowed. She appeared suddenly behind Peggy. Seizing the larger vampire by the arm, she threw her to the ground and began to kick her repeatedly in the stomach.

Jack willed himself to move, but his body remained frozen. The world seemed suddenly distant, everything moving at once too slow and too fast, every sound at once too loud and too quiet. His breathing was coming in shallow gasps. All he could do was watch as Peggy slowly stopped struggling and grew still under the girl’s beating. 

He wasn’t sure how long it had gone on for before the girl finally stopped, reaching down to pull Peggy up by the hair once more. “Are you willing to be good for me yet?” she asked.

“Go to hell,” Peggy spat. Her face was bloody, her body battered, her voice little more than a weak gasp, but her eyes remained steely and defiant.

“You’re too weak to be a fun plaything,” the little girl said, pouting down at Peggy. “I want you to be more fun.” Twisting Peggy’s head around to look at Jack, the girl pointed one finger in his direction. “Drink him,” she commanded.

“Never,” Peggy hissed. 

“If you don’t drink blood right now you’re not going to last,” the girl huffed, stomping her foot. “You’re weak enough I could break you. Vampires aren’t supposed to be that weak. You’re supposed to be _fun_.” Her voice had risen into a shrill whine.

“Well, I guess that’s just the cross I bear,” said Peggy. There was something very pointed in the way she said it, and as she spoke she tilted her head ever so slightly to one side. The moonlight fell upon something hanging around her neck, making the familiar golden chain gleam. Jack stared at it, his mind screaming at him to do something. 

“Oh well,” the little girl sighed. “At least I get to kill you.” She raised her fist.

“Jack!” Peggy snapped. “Move that shapely arse of yours.”

It wasn’t her words that broke through the paralysis that had settled over Jack’s body. It wasn’t the tone of her voice. It wasn’t even the desperate need for action in that moment. It was Peggy’s eyes, locked on him, trusting him to play his part, to have her back like she had had his, that finally closed his hand around the stake and pushed him up off the ground. He closed the short distance between him and the little girl, seizing her from behind before she had a chance to react. Peggy reached up and ripped her blouse open, letting the cross swing into view, and in the same beat, Jack brought his stake down into the child’s heart.

There was a moment where everything seemed to stand still, and then the little girl let out a weak choking noise and crumpled to the ground. Jack stared down at the small body, with her wide, blank eyes and the blood pooling out around her tiny form. He’d never killed anything so small before. 

He didn’t have much time to dwell on the matter, as almost as soon as the little vampire had fallen, Peggy also slumped to the ground. Jack rushed over and knelt beside her, shaking her roughly by the shoulder. “Peggy,” he said. “Peggy, you alright?” That was when he noticed the cross, still laying upon her exposed chest, the flesh around it reddened and slightly blistered. He reached down and tore the chain from around her neck, tossing it across the cave as far as he could. He winced slightly as he took in the cross-shaped scar seared into her skin where the necklace had rested. 

Peggy stirred slightly, a moan escaping from between her lips. Her eyes fluttered open. “Jack,” she mumbled. Then her eyes slid closed again, her jaw slackening and her breathing shuddering to a stop.

“Damnit, Peggy,” Jack muttered, shaking her shoulders again. There was no response.

Two thoughts entered his mind at once. The first was that he could just leave her and walk away, ridding the town of two vampires for the price of one, without ever having to strike a blow. The second was the little girl’s words, echoing in his mind: _If you don’t drink blood right now you’re not going to last_. And with that second thought came memories of Peggy’s eyes – those damn trusting eyes. There was only a moment of hesitation before Jack acted. Swearing under his breath, he rolled up his sleeve, pulled out his pocket knife, made a small cut on his wrist, and pressed it against Peggy’s parted lips.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt the faint flick of a tongue against his wrist. The tongue darted up again, stronger this time, running along the length of the cut, eagerly tasting the dripping blood. The vampire’s chest slowly began to rise and fall, shakily at first, but growing steadier by the second. Another moan rose in her throat, stronger than the last, vibrating against Jack’s wrist. Suddenly, Peggy’s hands reached up and seized his arm. She pushed his wrist further into her mouth, greedily lapping the blood from his veins.

Her eyes flew open. Before Jack knew what had hit him, Peggy had lunged off the ground with a growl, grabbing him and hurling him back against the cave wall. Reaching up and gripping him by the hair, she yanked his head back, sank her fangs into the exposed skin of his throat, and began to drink in earnest.

As soon as her teeth had pierced his skin, Jack felt a sudden wave of pleasure wash over him. It was as though all the bad things in the world suddenly disappeared. The pain in his head was gone, the fear that had started to flutter in his chest when Peggy had first grabbed him faded away, the hard rock behind him suddenly seemed like the most comfortable thing in the world. And – for the first time in years – his mind was at peace. Gone was the guilt. Gone was the self-loathing. Gone was the burden he’d been carrying, the burden that grew a little heavier every day. Jack felt his body relax. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and gave himself over to Peggy and her blood-lust.


	5. A Damn Fine Pair

The bliss was over too soon. Peggy jerked away from him, her lips painted with blood and her eyes filled with horror. Jack moaned slightly as the pleasure drained from his body and the weight of the world came flooding back to him, along with the throbbing in his head and a new piercing pain in his neck. He raised one hand and pressed it against the bite mark. As he did so, he could feel the wounds already scabbing over, the pain fading away into a cool numbness. “You got some kinda magic ointment in those teeth of yours?” he muttered, raising his eyebrows at Peggy. 

“We don’t like our prey to suffer,” she replied. Her voice sounded very small. She swiped a hand aggressively over her mouth, a look of disgust crossing her face when she saw the blood staining her fingers. “I’m sorry, Jack,” she whispered, rubbing at her mouth again.

Jack stepped forward, swaying slightly as the effects of the blood-loss hit him. He lifted one hand and gently rested it on Peggy’s cheek, holding her head steady as he wiped away the rest of the blood with his shirt sleeve. Her body was perfectly still, and she watched his every movement with the wide, confused eyes of a frightened animal. “There,” Jack said finally, rubbing the last drop of blood from her lips. “Clean.” He released her, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

“I don’t understand,” Peggy said. A faint trickle of morning light was beginning to make its way into the cave, illuminating the lines of weary exhaustion on her face. “You should have let me die. At the very least, you should kill me now. I’ve just proved to you that I’m the monster you always believed me to be.”

“If that were true, I’d be dead.”

“You very nearly could have been.” Peggy’s voice was still far too small, and her expression was so despondent that Jack was overcome with a sudden and impulsive urge. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around the vampire and pulled her into a tight hug. She stiffened slightly, then slumped into his embrace and buried her head in his chest, her body trembling. 

He continued to hold her until her shudders subsided. When her body had relaxed and her breathing had evened out again, he pulled away and looked over at the dead child still lying on the cave floor next to them. “We should get outta here,” he said. 

Peggy glanced over at the girl. “Her name was Lucy,” she said sadly. “She was found wandering alone in the woods several years ago. No one knew where she came from, or who her parents might be, so a young couple took her in. I should have known it was her. She’s the only one whose family hasn’t lived in that town for generations.” 

“She’s a kid. No one suspects a kid.”

Peggy sighed. “The perfect cover,” she said. She looked back up at Jack. “You’re right. We should go. I just want to be home, in bed, with a hot cup of tea.” 

Jack nodded. “Let’s get you there, then.”

They walked out of the cave together, just as the sun was creeping up over the horizon, turning the world pink and gold. There Peggy stopped. She looked down at the town below them, just beginning to wake up, and her eyes were suddenly very distant and very, very sad. “I’d like to tell you my story, if you don’t object,” she said. “About the man I killed. I think you deserve to know, before you make up your mind about whether or not I’m a monster.”

Jack nodded. He settled himself on a large boulder next to the mouth of the cave and tugged Peggy down next to him. “Tell me,” he said, when she was seated. 

“His name was Steve,” she said softly. “He loved me. And I loved him. I only knew him for a short time, but he was the best man I had ever met. He was noble, and kind, and _good_. He knew exactly what I was, and he didn’t care.” She looked down at her hands, her face twisting with pain. “But he was sickly. A myriad of health conditions that he fought as long as he could – ” Her voice broke, and she fell silent. After a moment, she took a deep breath and composed herself. “He couldn’t keep fighting forever. He got very, very sick. The doctors couldn’t do anything, and we all knew it was the end. He was in so much pain, but his body just kept hanging on. It was torture, for him and for me. So I offered to end it for him. And he begged me to do it. I took his life, Jack. The life of the man I loved. It was the first time I had ever had human blood, and the man I took it from was the one good thing I had ever had. I swore it was something I could never do again.”

“Sorry I made you break that promise,” Jack said. “But I couldn’t let you die.”

Peggy looked over at him. “Why not?” she asked, her brow furrowed with pain and sorrow. “Just yesterday you thought you might kill me yourself.”

“You saved my life, Peggy. It was the least I could do. Especially since it was my fault you came that close to death in the first place. I should’ve stepped in before the kid got that far with you, but I – ” He broke off and looked away.

A gentle hand rested on his arm. “You froze,” Peggy said. It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t an accusation. Just a statement, spoken with such complete lack of judgment that Jack looked back at her, slightly taken aback at the understanding in her eyes.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Tell me.”

Jack sighed, the burden of the memory suddenly seizing his chest in a vice-like grip, making it hard to breathe. “It was my very first hunt,” he said. “Me and a bunch of other guys. We’d been tracking these vampires for days, and it turned out the bastards knew it. We walked right into an ambush. In the first attack I got hit, thrown back into a ditch, out of sight. They didn’t even notice me there. I should’ve done something, but I was scared out of my mind. So I just lay there. I watched them kill my comrades, and I didn’t even lift a finger to help. I just lay there, and watched them die. And when that vampire was beatin’ you, I was suddenly back in that moment. It was happenin’ all over again. You were dying, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to save you.” 

“But you did,” Peggy said softly. “This time, you did.”

Jack looked into her eyes, the eyes that had made him move when nothing else could. “You never doubted me for a minute,” he said. “Even though yesterday I was sayin’ I’d kill you. You never once doubted me.”

Peggy shook her head. “No,” she said. “You’re a good person, Jack. I see it, even if you don’t.”

“So are you, sweetheart,” Jack said, giving her a half-smile. “I see it, even if you don’t.” 

Peggy let out a faint, watery laugh. “What a fine pair we make,” she said. She snaked an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze. 

“Yeah,” said Jack. “We do make a damn fine pair.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and returned the squeeze, resting his cheek against the top of her head. “And I think we make a pretty good team too, Peg.”

“We do,” she agreed.

“Ever thought about leavin’ this town of yours?” 

“Many times. I spend most of my time traveling anyway. And it’s not as if I’ve ever had anything keeping me here. I’ve just never had anything to make me leave, either.”

“Come with me,” Jack said suddenly, something about this woman once again driving him to impulsivity. 

She lifted her head to look at him. “Truly?” she asked. “I didn’t think you were terribly fond of vampires.”

“Just the one.”

She smiled at him, her eyes so full of warmth and happiness that Jack couldn’t help but smile back. “In that case, I would gladly travel with you, Jack,” she said.

“Good.” He pulled her a little closer to his side. “Partners?” he asked.

“Partners,” she agreed. She let her head fall back onto his shoulder and tightened her grip on him.

And together, the vampire and the vampire slayer sat and watched the sun rise over the sleepy town below, reveling in the warmth of the other’s body against them and the knowledge that – for the first time in a long time – they weren’t alone.


End file.
